Retractable Inflatable Product

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a retractable inflatable product, including an inflatable body as well as a gas charging device communicated with the inflatable body and used to charge the inflatable body with gas, further including: a wire positioning component, at least one wire, and a pay-off and take-up device which is connected to at least one end of the wire and pays off or takes up the wire through the wire positioning component. The wire positioning component is formed by a plurality of hollow annular elements disposed on the inner wall of the inflatable body. The present invention realizes automatic or manual retraction and tightening by providing a wire positioning component inside the inflatable body and passing a wire through the hollow annular elements so that the wire can be paid off or taken up through the pay-off and take-up device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of Chinese Patent ApplicationNo. 201520709127.0 filed on Sep. 14, 2015; the contents of which arehereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an inflatable product, particularly toa retractable inflatable product.

DESCRIPTION OF THE BACKGROUND

The internal filler of the inflatable products used for decoration,display or advertisement in the market is air or other gases in general.Inflatable products can achieve a large size under small materialconsumption and unit weight. Owing to this feature, inflatable productshave different substitutability and are widely used in some fields, butthe large volume also causes inconvenience to storage, transport andprotection after use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The features and advantages of the present invention will be in partstated in the subsequent description, or become obvious through thedescription, or can be learnt through practicing the present invention.

In order to overcome the problems of prior art, the present inventionprovides a retractable inflatable product, arranges hollow annularelements inside the inflatable body and passes a wire which can be paidoff and taken up via a pay-off and take-up device through the hollowannular elements, thereby enabling automatic or manual retraction andtightening of the inflatable body, reducing volume and making itconvenient for protection, transport and storage.

To solve the foregoing technical problems, the present invention adoptsthe following technical solutions:

The present invention provides a retractable inflatable product,comprising an inflatable body as well as a gas charging devicecommunicated with the inflatable body and used to charge the inflatablebody with gas, further comprising: a wire positioning component, atleast one wire, and a pay-off and take-up device, which is connected toat least one end of the wire and pays off or takes up the wire throughthe wire positioning component. The wire positioning component is formedby a plurality of hollow annular elements disposed on the inner wall ofthe inflatable body.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the hollow annularelements are formed by enclosing of metal bars or plastic bars.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the hollow annularelements are constituted by a through hole disposed on cloth strips, andthe cloth strips are connected to the inner wall of the inflatable body.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is at leastone hollow annular element on the cloth strips.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, it furthercomprises a base container, the gas charging device and the pay-off andtake-up device are inside the base container, and the base container isalso used to receive the deflated and retracted inflatable body.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, it furthercomprises a time switch circuit board, which is connected to the gascharging device and the pay-off and take-up device and enables timedinflation and spreading or deflation and retraction of the inflatablebody.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, it furthercomprises a battery pack, which is connected to the time switch circuitboard.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a luminouscomponent is mounted inside the inflatable body.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the pay-off andtake-up device is inside the inflatable body.

By reading the Specification, those skilled in the art will have betterunderstanding on the features and contents of these technical solutions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will now be described by referring to theaccompanying drawings that illustrate the preferred embodiments of thepresent invention, from which its advantages and realization methodswill be evident. The accompanying drawings are intended to illustrateand not to limit the present invention. In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic for the structure of a retractable inflatableproduct in an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic for the setting of annular elements of aretractable inflatable product in an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic for the circuit of the retractable inflatableproduct in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a schematic for the state of a retractable inflatable productin an embodiment of the present invention after inflation.

FIG. 5 is a schematic for the state of a retractable inflatable productin an embodiment of the present invention during retraction.

FIG. 6 is a schematic for the state of a retractable inflatable productin an embodiment of the present invention after retraction.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention provides a retractable inflatable product, mainlycomprising: an inflatable body, a gas charging device communicated withthe inflatable body and used to charge the inflatable body with gas, awire positioning component disposed on the inner wall of the inflatablebody, at least one wire 3, and a pay-off and take-up device, which isconnected to at least one end of the wire, and pays off the wire duringinflation and spreading of the inflatable body and takes up the wireduring deflation and retraction of the inflatable body through the wirepositioning component.

FIG. 1˜FIG. 3 show an embodiment of the present invention, comprising aninflatable body 1 in a shape of snowman, a wire positioning component 2with a plurality of hollow annular elements 2 a˜2 o disposed on theinner wall of the inflatable body 1, a wire 3 passing through all hollowannular elements 2 a˜2 o of the wire positioning component 2 shown inFIG. 2 in turn according to the arrow direction shown in FIG. 3, and apay-off and take-up device 5, including a pay-off and take-up wheel 52on which the two ends A and B of wire 3 are fixed.

Alternatively, one end of the wire 3 is fixed on the pay-off and take-upwheel and the other end may be fixed on any appropriate position of theinflatable body or the pay-off and take-up device. Generally speaking,when only one wire is adopted, the head end of the wire 3 may be fixedon the inner wall of the inflatable body 1 close to the pay-off andtake-up device 5, or the middle part of the wire is fixed on the innerwall of the top end of the inflatable body 1 and both ends of the wire3, i.e.: head end and tail end, are connected to the pay-off and take-updevice 5. When multiple wires are adopted, the head ends of these wiresmay be fixed at a same point, on the inner wall of the top end of theinflatable body 1 for example. Of course, different points are alsofeasible. Alternatively, the middle parts of these wires are fixed toany point of the inner wall of the inflatable body 1, for example thesymmetry point or symmetry axis of the inflatable body 1 and then thehead ends and tail ends of these wires 3 are all connected to thepay-off and take-up device 5.

The foregoing wire positioning component 2 may adopt different materialsor shapes according to different demands. For example, in an embodimentof the present invention, the wire positioning component 2 is formed byenclosing of metal bars or plastic bars; in another embodiment of thepresent invention, the wire positioning component 2 is constituted by athrough hole disposed on cloth strips and the cloth strips are connectedto the inner wall of the inflatable body 1. The fabric of the clothstrips may be woven fabric, knitted fabric or leather. The presentinvention has no limitation to this. In order to strengthen the firmnessof the through hole, hemming may be adopted on the circumference of thethrough hole. The material of the hem may be metal, plastic or fabric,etc. When cloth strips are adopted for the wire positioning component 2,a plurality of cloth strips may be disposed inside an inflatable bodyand at least one hollow annular element may be disposed on each clothstrip, 3 for example.

The foregoing pay-off and take-up device 5 may be located inside oroutside the inflatable body 1. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1-6, thepay-off and take-up device 5 is disposed outside the inflatable body andinside the base container 4, and the base container 4 may be connectedto the inflatable body 1.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1-6, the gas charging device 6 isdisposed inside the base container 4. The gas charging device 6 iscommunicable with the inflatable body 1 and used to charge theinflatable body 1 with gas. Specifically speaking, it charges theinflatable body 1 with gas when the inflatable body 1 is spread, andstops charging or slowly charges the inflatable body 1 with gas when theinflatable body 1 is retracted. In concrete implementation, the gascharging device 6 may adopt a charging fan, a gas pump or compressedgas, and the gas charging device 6 may also be built in the inflatablebody or placed on another position.

As shown in FIG. 1, when the pay-off and take-up device 5 pays off thewire 3 while the gas charging device 6 is charging the inflatable body 1with gas, the inflatable body 1 will be spread to form the needed shape.In FIG. 5, the gas charging device 6 stops charging the inflatable body1 or slowly charges the inflatable body 1 with gas and meanwhile thepay-off and take-up device 5 takes up the wire 3, and through the wire 3it pulls and tightens the wire positioning component 2 connected to theinner wall of the inflatable body, thereby retracting the inflatablebody 1. The shape of fully retracted inflatable body 1 is shown in FIG.4. Now the deflated and retracted inflatable body 1 is received into thebase container 4. The base container 4 serves as a container receivingdeflated and retracted inflatable body 1. Its shape and material are notlimited and may be designed according to the shape and material of theinflatable body.

Please refer to FIG. 1 again. In order that the inflatable body 1 canrealize timed automatic inflation and spreading or deflation andretraction, a time switch circuit board 9 may be added. It is connectedto the gas charging device 6 and the pay-off and take-up device 5. Theproduct also comprises a battery pack 7, which is connected to the timeswitch circuit board 9. All of the foregoing components may be placed inthe base container 4. A power adapter 8 may also be connected to thebattery pack 7 to charge the latter.

It should be noted that the present invention may be set in a mode ofmanual or automatic inflation and has no limitation to the shape andmaterial of the inflatable body and the inflatable body may adoptdifferent materials or shapes according to different demands. In anembodiment of the present invention, a luminous component is installedin the inflatable body. Besides, the present invention also has nolimitation to the gas, which fills the inside of the inflatable body.The gas may be air or others.

The present invention provides an automatic retractable inflatableproduct. It realizes automatic retraction and tightening by providing awire positioning component inside the inflatable body and passing a wirethrough the hollow annular elements of the wire positioning component sothat the wire can be paid off or taken up through the pay-off andtake-up device. This approach not only accelerates the deflation andretraction of the inflatable body but also reduces the volume of theinflatable body after deflation. The present invention also adopts thedesign of a base container to enable timely reception of the inflatablebody after retraction, and introduces a time switch circuit board torealize timed spreading or retraction of the inflatable body,significantly improving usability and portability and making itconvenient for protection, transport and storage.

The wires described in the foregoing embodiments may adopt variousshapes and materials. There may be one or multiple wires subject to theactual structure.

Above the preferred embodiments of the present invention are illustratedby referring to accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art mayrealize the present invention by various modified solutions withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of the present invention. Forexample, the features partially presented or described in an embodimentmay be used in another embodiment to get another embodiment. The aboveare preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not limit therange of rights of the present invention. All the equivalent changesmade by applying the content of the description and accompanyingdrawings of the present invention are in the range of rights of thepresent invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A retractable inflatable product, comprising aninflatable body as well as a gas charging device communicated with theinflatable body and used to charge the inflatable body with gas, whereinit further comprises: a wire positioning component, at least one wire, apay-off and take-up device, which is connected to at least one end ofthe wire and pays off or takes up the wire through the wire positioningcomponent; wherein the wire positioning component is formed by aplurality of hollow annular elements disposed on the inner wall of theinflatable body.
 2. The retractable inflatable product according toclaim 1, wherein the hollow annular elements are formed by enclosing ofmetal bars or plastic bars.
 3. The retractable inflatable productaccording to claim 1, wherein the hollow annular elements areconstituted by a through hole disposed on cloth strips, and the clothstrips are connected to the inner wall of the inflatable body.
 4. Theretractable inflatable product according to claim 3, wherein there is atleast one hollow annular element on the cloth strips.
 5. The retractableinflatable product according to claim 1, wherein it further comprises abase container, the gas charging device and the pay-off and take-updevice are inside the base container, and the base container is alsoused to receive the deflated and retracted inflatable body.
 6. Theretractable inflatable product according to claim 1, wherein it furthercomprises a time switch circuit board, which is connected to the gascharging device and the pay-off and take-up device and enables timedinflation and spreading or deflation and retraction of the inflatablebody.
 7. The retractable inflatable product according to claim 6,wherein it further comprises a battery pack, which is connected to thetime switch circuit board.
 8. The retractable inflatable productaccording to claim 1, wherein a luminous component is mounted inside theinflatable body.
 9. The retractable inflatable product according toclaim 1, wherein the pay-off and take-up device is inside the inflatablebody.